A Second Chance
by Vixter
Summary: We all know that Edward and Bella are destined to be together for all time, but how long and hard did fate work to keep their love alive and their souls connected? Initially set in 1918 when the influenza epidemic hit Chicago, and eventually fastforwards
1. New Beginning

**Disclaimer: We will only say this once for the entire story, so you better keep note of this now. ;) Although we wish we were as brilliant as the talented Stephenie Meyer, we are sadly not. Therefore, we have not written Twilight, so please do not sue us. And to be quite honest, it would be a waste of your time since we are poor college students. Enjoy!**

_August 7, 1918—Chicago, IL._

"Doctor Cullen? Ehem… Doctor Cullen? Sir, are you alright?"

Carlisle Cullen shook himself out of his lonely daydream as he felt a shy tap caress his shoulder. He blinked a few times to escape the daze that encompassed his eyes and tried to focus on the gentle figure in front of him. Her eyes— a soft chocolate color—were full of love and care. Her long chestnut tresses were slightly pulled back into a half up, half down fashion, which complimented her heart-shaped face. She looked young, the age of seventeen, but there was a certain wisdom and maturity about her that one could not help but respect. This woman may not have been the most beautiful, but there was a certain aura about her that caused curious and attentive adoration.

"I truly am sorry for disturbing you, Sir. I am Isabella Swan. Your new resident nurse," she offered her dainty hand in his general direction.

Carlisle graciously took her hand in his and welcomed her with a warm smile, "It is very nice to meet you Nurse Swan. I must say I am pleased to see a woman at this level of the medicinal chain. You must be very proud to have made it thus far."

"Please, Doctor Cullen, call me Bella. Nurse Swan seems so formal and unnecessary since we will be spending so much time together."

"Well, if I must call you Bella, then you are obligated to call me Carlisle," he joked with a humorous wink. Bella smiled, and a faint shade of pink crept upon her face.

"Care for a grand tour?" Carlisle raised his arm and graciously waved it in such a way, as though he was presenting a prestigious award. Bella timidly nodded her head, and followed the doctor's lead.

"As you probably already know, I am a private physician and tend to a great amount of patients here—all with different needs…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I can't help but ask as to why you do not work under the Red Cross? It is very successful and provides care to an even greater amount of patients, and is valuable in terms of experience with all sorts of illnesses."

Carlisle laughed and nodded his head in understanding, "Yes, yes, yes. You are not the first to ask. I feel an ultimate need to have a closer, more personal relationship with my patients. At the Red Cross, a doctor cannot truly understand a person who is sick if he or she does not know their background or history. But here, not only am I able to keep track of people's medical history to help complete my analysis, but also form a relationship with each and every patient I attend to. I have a strong principle in the connection between medicine and belief. If one does not have hope that they can be healed, ultimately they will not."

As they strolled through the office, Bella nodded her head and stared intently into Carlisle's topaz eyes. She had been told that Doctor Carlisle Cullen was the best in Chicago… maybe even the entire state of Illinois… maybe the entire nation… maybe the entire world. Some tried to say that he possessed a supernatural power to save the sick and wounded. Now she could testify as to where his medicinal magic resorted from—his faith. While he continued to give her the grand tour and provide some background, Bella could not help but feel right at home. Having to endure school, and being insulted and antagonized about trying to take over a male-dominated profession had not seemed worth the time, pain, and effort. But now, now that Carlisle had graciously opened his arms to becoming her mentor, she knew deep down that this was where she belonged—this was her destiny.

**Author's Note: Well, did you like it? Love it? Hate it? This chapter seems a bit slow, but believe me, it WILL get exciting. Promise. ) Please review! We'd really like to hear your feedback—good or bad. Plus we need to see if we are going anywhere with this story, otherwise there would be no point in continuing it. So, we are _begging_ you… please review!**


	2. Turn For The Worse

**Author's Note: Well, my partner in crime, Meesa, has left for Indiana and is getting set up over there in her dorm and such, so I (Vixy) will be taking over by myself for a while. I wanted to thank AmberSK, flonshoe, BalancingConfessions, ArayaShaddix, and lovedove545 for their beautiful reviews! Thanks so much for your support! This chapter is for you! I was both sad and glad to see that 86 people have read our first chapter, but all did not review… so PLEASEEEE just push that little button down there. You review me, I review you. ;) Enjoy!**

_September 1, 1918_

Bella had been working at Doctor Cullen's office for a few weeks, and was learning a great deal from the master himself. He not only taught her lessons about the medical profession, but also lessons on life, struggle, and faith. During their mid-day meal and time spans where appointments were vacant, Carlisle would tell her about his travels, studies, and encounters with special people that left an impact on his life. Although he appeared so young physically, there was a definite aura of wisdom and experience evident in not only his stories and intelligence, but also his eyes. Those honey-colored orbs seemed to tell a story—story of a man who was at the height of his success, but at one point had to endure the biggest burden of his life. Carlisle rarely spoke of his adolescence or family; besides him mentioning that he was brought up in London. Sometimes, the slightest mention of London or England caused an awkward, silent pause in which lead Bella's curiosity to escalate. However, she never dared ask of whatever painful memory invaded his mind. During their time together at the office, Bella had earned his trust and in no way was she going to ruin that. Although this man seemed miraculous, there was a hint of loneliness masked behind profession and personality.

Everyday, Bella would return to her home and tell her parents Charles, and Renee all about the infamous Doctor Carlisle Cullen and all the amazing stories he told. The stories of Carlisle Cullen were interesting, but maybe not as much as those of Bella's parents.

Her parents had fallen in love at a very young age. Renee came from a very wealthy family; practically royalty. She was betrothed to another lord that her parents had chosen for her. Given her wild and freedom-craving spirit, Renee loathed how her future was chosen for her, and was desperate to find a way out. So, while she was out shopping with her mother in town, she met Charles Swan—Chief of Police. They instantly fell in love, and had secret love affairs— until her parents found out what had been occurring. Her parents forbade that Renee ever saw Chief Swan again. Charles Swan came from a poor family and was not up to the standards Renee's parents demanded. Therefore, Renee and Charles eloped and traveled to Chicago to live out their married lives, which did not end up as happy as they had planned.

Now, however, both Charles and Renee realized their foolish mistake of getting married so young, and tended to lead separate lives. Presently, to get divorced was a scandal and deeply frowned down upon. So, the family still lived together, but let us just say that Charles and Renee were not sharing the same bed any longer. As a matter of fact, Renee had been seeing a certain Philip Dwyer, who she happened to have fallen in love with. Luckily, there was no animosity between the two parents. They sacrificed everything for the only thing that mattered to them both—their daughter Isabella Swan. To be truthful, Bella was perturbed by her parents' decision to stay together legally just to save face. Although she liked seeing them together, she knew that they were unhappy. But, she lived with their family secret, and vowed that she would never make a brash decision like theirs her entire life.

That night at the dinner table, Charles cleared his throat and looked up from his plate to meet the eyes of his daughter, and his…well, wife, "Bells, Renee. There has been some suspicious business about town. Some sort of rare disease has begun to appear in our streets of Chicago. I need you both to spend less time in town and more time at home."

"What is it, Father? What is its name? What are the symptoms?" Bella asked urgently.

"Slow down there, Bell. There's nothing to worry about. I'm sure it's just some sort of phase that some passersby happened to spread. Plus, we have your partner Doctor Cullen to clear all this mess up," Charles said with great pride. Both the Doctor and Chief of Police had formed a true bond of friendship after Carlisle had saved his life from a bullet wound.

Bella nodded, but couldn't help but feel that something serious was about to happen. Just by looking at her father's face when he announced the news, she knew that this was not your run of the mill common cold. She had to warn Carlisle immediately.

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_September 11, 1918_

It had been days since Charles had warned Bella about the newfound disease spreading within their hometown of Chicago. Deep down in the pit of her stomach, Bella could feel a lurking worry begin to rise with each day's passing. And soon enough, the Health Commissioner confirmed her uneasiness. It had been stated in the local newspaper that the "Spanish Lady," a nickname for the Spanish Influenza, had been discovered in Kansas that same year in March. Authorities believed that the disease had been eliminated and that there would be no need to worry the people of Illinois. However, now Chicago was an immediate target for the Spanish Lady to attack. World War soldiers that had been taken to the Red Cross facilities in the city had contracted the disease in battle and begun to spread it throughout the town once they returned to the states.

Bella looked at the front page worriedly and her hands began to shake. This disease had killed thousands of people within a couple of weeks, and could possibly decimate the country's population within a matter of a month. She put her pale hand up to her head and tried to relax her body and control her breathing. The Spanish Lady was going to be a severe crisis, and she had to get to Carlisle as soon as possible. She grabbed her coat and purse, and rushed out the door. Upon getting on the streetcar to take her downtown, she noticed bright signs posted all along the seats, and walls—"NO SPITTING! NO COUGHING! NO SNEEZING! Any who are caught violating the demands of the Health Department will be arrested instantaneously." Her eyes widened with each word that she read, and raised a hand over her mouth in shock and caution. This was going to be worse than she thought.

**Sorry, no Bella or Edward interaction JUST yet, but I promise things will get interesting next chapter. PLEASEEEE REVIEW! I will return the favor no doubt:)**


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